Means for opening containers of all kinds



June 18, 1935.

E. SAIGNIER 2,005,665

MEANS FOR OPENING CONTAINERS OF ALL KINDS Filed May 9, 1954 Lq [man 02 5- Elm m- 5 m 7,

Patented June 18, 1935 'LMEANs Foa creme oon'rmk'masor an.

, i xmns Etienne Saignier, Paris, France Application May a, 1934,,smn' 'No. 724,796

France March 1, 1934 Y 1 Claim. ((1223-51) It. is well known to insert under a cover consisting of paper, a thread permitting the tear of the cover. Such threads must benecessarily fixed at one or their extremities and permit only of a rectilinear tear; besides, they are embarrassing for packing up and complicate enoi ffiously the task of the packer. I v

First of all, no practical method exists for fixing a thread longitudinally. It is obvious that by using for this purpose a gummed band overlapping the thread, either the bandor the paper will be torn but never both of them simultaneously, so that the object aimed at is not obtained since neither in the first case nor in the second one cover is entirely opened.

Secondly, it isobvious that if a paper cover is closed by a usual gummed band applied to-the joint of the cover, the essential condition for the efllciency of a tearing thread placed underneath such band is the exact placing of the thread in the line of the joint as otherwise the package cannot be opened.

It is also extremely difllcult for a single person packing up, to maintain the thread exactly in place and to stick a gummed band above the same.

The present invention obviates these drawbacks and consists in that the thread is imbedded in a sheath formed simply by folding and sticking together or the two parts of a paper band, the thread being placed in, the folding line of this band. This band is also gummed at one of its outer sides so as to permit its easy application for all kinds of packages.

This band with its thread can be easily attached at any desired spot. Bya simple pull on the extremity of the thread the same frees itself from'its sheath by tearing this sheath exactly at the line of folding, and the point or attachment of the thread to its sheath displacesitself simultaneouslywith tear, so that by a suitable disposal ofvthe sheath openings of all knids can be effected.

Moreover, owing to the fact that the thread liberates itself from the sheath exactlytalong the folding line of the same, this sheath fixed for example inwardly of the package or roll or the like to be opened will not bridge-rover the twopaper lips to be turn as it frequently; happens with the known arrangement, of a thread placed underneath ausual gummed band; 1 v

The invention will be better understood by ref:- erence to the accompanying drawing-showing. in: I. Figs. 1, and 2' the known, ,mostly inoperative, arrangement of a tearing thread-belowza gummed band, j: x 5::1

Figs. 3 and-4the-establishment of a sheath according to a first embodiment of the invention, Figs. 5 and 6 two analogous views of another embodimentof the invention, I

Fig. '7 another embodiment of the same, and Figs. 8, 9 and 10 the mode of utilization ofrthe sheath according to the invention for some typical cases.

According to Fig. 1 a simple tearing thread a is used for eifecting the tear of a paper cover b, this thread being fixed longitudinallyby means of a gummed band 0 bridging over this thread. Now it is obvious that on pulling this thread in the direction I or f, either the paper b or the gummed band c willbe torn up but never both of them at the same time, so that neither in the one case nor in the other the cover will be separated into two parts since they remain connected either by the bridge 0 (if tearing in the direction I) or by the paper b itself (if tearing in the direction I) The same will-be the case with the arrangement according to Fig. 2.

According to the same, the two lips d d of a paper cover, for example a roller e, shall be separated trom each other by means of a thread 41 provided below a gummed band 0. In order to ensure efficiency of this arrangement, the thread ought to be placed exactly with regard to the lips d. d, otherwise the package cannot be opened since the band 0 will be not torn exactly there where it forms a sealing bridge between the lips d d. Besides, it is very dimcult for a person alone occupied with the packing up to maintain the thread in place and to stick the gummed band above the same. 7

According to the invention a. paper band h (Fig. 3) is folded and-in the folding line a thread a is placed, whereuponthe both sides of the, fold are stuck together. In the line of foldi thev band is, owing to the introduction of the thread, swelled up, so as to form a pad is.

Alongitudinal border i (Fig. 4) of the paper band may be left so' as to surpass the fold and to constitute means forfixation of the sheath to the package to be opened; since this borderis 'cov-'- ered with a glue I H a w It is also possible (Figs. 5 and 6) "to fold exactly in the middle'lineof theband, one of: the outer sides a being in this case covered with a sticking material. It i salso'possible to use anadditional band l covered on both its'sides with an adhering material so as to permit-0f "its flXati'ontd the sheath and to the-package" paper. 5

it The sheath prepared in thisiuway is: fixed, by

wetting itslgummed part, underneath the paper to be to'rn, viz. inwardly of the package or envelope to be opened, taking care that one or both of its extremities project outwardly.

From the free extremity of the sheath the extremity a of the thread or string is easily liberated (Fig. 8). On pulling laterally this extremity, the thread a will be liberated from its sheath, exactly in the folding line of the same, and-at the same time the paper m gets torn, when the sheath h has been fixed to the underside of paper m.

It is essential that the point of attachment of the thread to the sheath displaces itself simultaneously with the trace of tearing, whereby it is possible to produce openings of all forms, as for example rectilinear, curved, and so on.

This particular action is especially interesting for providing window-like openings such as n (Fig. 9) in a cover or package or for effecting opening in a broken or even curved line, which cannot be obtained by a simple tearing thread (since by the same, straight tears only are possible).

The particular fact that the tearing thread is disposed in the folding line of the sheath, permits not only tearing up in two opposite directions perpendicular to the plane of the paper but also in this plane itself, which last named feature permits the adaptation of such a sheath for envelopes and the like: the sheath is placed in this case inwardly in the folding line of the envelope to be opened.

It is to be noted that the tearing sheath according to the invention, which cannot be confounded with the hitherto usual sealing band, permits of-its being placed at any desired point of the package, for example on the border of the cover of a box (Fig. 10), previously to the outfit of the same, and can be even adaptedpreliminarily by the manufacturer of the boxes so as to allow the packer to dispense with this kind of work. The packer therefore does not have to situate the tearing thread exactly with regard to the Joint, and can limit himself to labelling.

The extremity h of the sheath h can also be placed at right angle to the rest of the sheath so as to project outwardly.

The paper tearing sheath according to the invention constitutes consequently a very appropriate means for an easy and exact placing of the tearing thread or the like at the desired spot, this thread being situated in the folding line of the sheath, and liberating itself and tearing the paper cover exactly there where it is required, without any possibility for the sheath stuck below the paper to bridge over the lips of the paper.

The paper tearing sheath according to the invention can be fixed on all packages, metallic or non-metallic boxes, to paper labels, rollers, casings, letter-envelopes, and the like.

What I claim, is:

; An opening device for paper closures of containers comprising a rectangular strip of paper, an adhesive applied to and covering one face of said strip, a tearing thread placed longitudinally across the adhesive covered face of said strip, one edge of said strip being folded over said thread and attached to a portion of the adhesive face thereof for forming a sheath for the thread and the remaining-portion of the adhesive face of said strip being exposed whereby it may be applied to the container or the closure therefor.

E'I'LIIEEN'NE SAIGNIER. 

